Wilsonville seniors have new community, access to activities

View full sizeBrent Wojahn/The OregonianCreekside Woods, a new low-income apartment complex for seniors, is slated to open Nov. 20 in Wilsonville. The apartments are connected to the Wilsonville Community Center by a skybridge.

WILSONVILLE -- When Barbara Ricker lost her home at Thunderbird Mobile Club in 2008

In 2007, as a response to that year's announcement that Thunderbird would close, the city asked for proposals to build homes for the 250 displaced residents. The goal was to give seniors a similar living situation -- independent living with a strong sense of community.

Jonathan Trutt, housing director for Northwest Housing Alternatives, said the apartments will be for independent seniors who want to be around other seniors and participate in group and community events.

One feature is the building's sky bridge connecting the apartments to the

. Residents will be able to walk across the covered bridge to the center for services such as low-cost lunches, yoga classes and bridge games.

"That connection is going to offer so many opportunities to the people who live there," said Patty Brescia, senior programs manager at the community center. "There's been such a need for housing, and (Creekside Woods) hit the jackpot by putting the apartments here."

For Ricker, the bridge is a physical way to bring back the sense of community she lost when Thunderbird closed.

"We had games, holiday parties -- it tore apart that community," she said. "But for the seniors who move to (Creekside Woods), it will rebuild that identity."

The complex has 77 one-bedroom apartments and seven two-bedrooms. An on-site manager will live in one of the two-bedroom units. As of this week, Northwest Housing Alternatives has received 72 applications for the other units.

More than half the units are enrolled in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program, which provides subsidies to residents and scales rent to individual incomes.

Creekside Woods will offer programs that include organized potlucks and field trips and resources such as tax advice and fitness help.

"There will be a lot of coordination with the community center, and we will not be duplicating what they are doing, but if they need our building, our community will be available to them," Trutt said.

While Ricker still has a few more weeks until her move to Creekside Woods, the anticipation is growing. For now, she is just thankful a housing solution came up before her retirement.

"One of these days I won't be able to do the things I can now, and here everything you need is there, all within walking distance."